~Anne~

Thanks everyone. Clyde, this one sounds like your Rotti. He shows no other dominant behaviours and is not aggressive in the slightest. In fact, he is the happiest, most playful loving Pug I have seen in a long while.

I just spoke to my Vet about the testing of hormone levels and he said he has never been asked the question before. He said you would need to know what the normal levels were for a dog of his age and size too and he wasn't sure there was such a measurement. David feels it is more likely a learned behaviour. He suggested giving Kersti Seskel a call and let him know what she said as he is also a little intrigued. I've got her number so I'll give it a burl.

I would have thought that the Vet who did the desexing would have reported on this though? Nothing is his records which suggest this. I am not sure we could determine this now could we? Or could it be done with palpatation?? Yes, this is what we are using but he isn;t slwoing down. It is still early days though but you would normally see a change by now.

I took in a surrendered boy on the weekend who is now in the care of a foster carer. One of the 'bad habits' I was told about when he was surrendered is that he marks and he digs up the grass. This lad is 5.5 years old and was desexed when he was 8 months old. He marks EVERYTHING. He literally never actually urinates for the sake of emptying his bladder, but instead he marks continously. Inside, outside, everywhere! He even marked a food bowl (empty of food). He also struts around and randomly scratches as if he has just marked but he does this even though he hasn't. He obviously also does this after most marks as well. Within a day, my lawn was showing definite signs of him being at my home. This doesn't concern me particularly as grass is grass in my view and it will grwo again but I would imagine it will be a negative factor in re-homing him and one thatc ould be an issue in a new home...not to mention the obvious negative aspect of his marking. Given that this boy was desexed be fore he was completely sexually mature, why is he displaying such male orientated traits? Could he actually still be raging with testosterone... but if so, how? He doesn't have any testes. He had lived with another male dog, a Labrador as I understand it. I am unsure if the Lab was neutered or if he was like this. Could this lad have picked up a learned behaviour from the other dog, and if so, would it be this strong if it was learned??? Can anyone give any clues, apart from the usual toilet trianing techniques, on how to control this boys 'manliness'?

I had a little rescue Pug that had surgery to remove the canals(?)..Rappie, you might be able to elaborate on this maybe as I really don't understand what exactly was done. I do know that it was done at the Specialiast Centre and it was due to her having incredibly narrow canals and chronic ear infections. From memory, she lost her hearing but was finally out of pain after the surgery.

Did the Vet actually test for ringworm? Did they look at the area under a special light or did they only to a scraping? To me, looking at the pic, it certainly looks like it could be ringworm. I would take them both to the Vet again.

I wouldn't operate. I think there is just as much, if not more, risk in the operation on a dog of that age then leaving the lumps.

Actually, I consider that I feed raw, and I include veges. To me, BARF is a commercially avilable product and a specific diet. RAW is just that, raw foods consisting mainly of meat and meat products. Best advice is to search in this forumand you will find a wealth of info on all types of diets. ;)

You can use almost all vege types. Veges should be processed though to break down the cellulose walls apparently as a digs digestive system can not nautrally do this. Always ensure the main proportion of the diet is meat or meat by-products though.

We had the same experience with our dogs and Dynamic Lifter. They defecated a thousand times a day until they had finished eating it. I assume blood and bone will do the same. We now put the pellets in water and soak them and pour the liquid on the garden. Solved our problems .

Stop feeding the kibble for 4-8 weeks to test if it is this. Even the 'best' brands contain preservatives and wheat products of some description.

What else are you feeding him? I have found that most dogs with generalised itching are fed commercial kibble or tinned food. Commercial foods are filled with crap. Switch to a natural and raw diet and see if things change.

Can SoG wear ear plugs Shmoo??

Yes it can. Several reasons why - fatty build up, allergies causing swelling, and the pressure of air being forced beyond the soft palate can weaken the tracheal walls somewhat. In Pugs, and other breeds with severe soft palate problems, it commonly causes tracheal collapse. This can be either partial or total. If total then obviously the dog can not breathe at all and dies. Obviously, your little one is not in this category but I explained it further so you could understand it better.

Have you had a Vet check out the soft palate Shmoo? This is often what it is. A resection of the palate may be in order. Now you know why my Pugs sleep downstairs

I've used Rescue remedy before on an anxious dog with success. You can't overdose them and it is completely natural.

None of the above.

I would be checking for demodex. Demodex is more prevalent in the aged and the young when the immune systems are not so strong.

Smear vaseline on it a few times a day. This will help prevent any more fly bites and it will soften the scabs and the skin for better healing. In Summer you may need to apply the vaseline thicker to keep the flys from biting. There are also commercial producuts available from pet supply stores and Vets.

An interesting note form the Dr Dodds' seminar. Dr Dodds stated that only one titre test was ever needed and that any immune response showed the dog had full immunity. She stated that the reason for the highs and lows was the dog's immune response to these viruses. ie If your dog has recently come into contact with the virus (even though you may not have realised this) the body's response will show higher levels of immunity and they will be lower when there has been no exposure. Either way, the dog is immune for life apparently and there is no need to re-test with the view of possibly having to vaccinate.

I also suspect that a natural instinct in dogs is to pee on their bedding to warm themselves if it is really cold where they sleep. This is only my theory though but I have noticed that if a dogs is going to do it, it is usually more common in Winter.

The barking could have caused nodules to grow on his chords too perhaps...like when humans repeatedly strain their vocal chords. I would be having it looked at by a Vet just to be sure. There are heart and chest conditions that can affect a dogs vocal sounds.

Mine get it purely because Monte is on it for his epilepsy. I only give it to the other Pugs a few days a week on average and Monte every day.

Just flush the sheath (I can't recall the correct term... I think it starts with a 'p'... precipice or something??) with cooled boiled water a few times a day until it clears.